The present invention relates to a flat gasket, especially for sealing off a cylinder head cap, whereby the flat gasket is completely or partially comprised of an elastic material that effects the sealing function, and the flat gasket comprises at least one pass-through region for at least one conductor, such conductor extending, in the mounted condition of the flat gasket, from outside the region to be sealed off into the interior of such region.
In many technical areas, especially, as well, in connection with engine manufacturing, it is necessary to seal off from one another regions that convey different media therethrough. As a consequence of the increased deployment of electronic, electrical, and electro-mechanical components, there frequently arises the need to guide electrical conductors and/or mechanical connections such as, for example, pipe conductors or Bowden cables, over those parting lines from one region to another region. The sealing off of the cylinder head of a combustion engine via a cylinder head cap is an example of one such event.
In connection with modern diesel motors having Common Rail fuel injection, electronically activated injection valves are deployed whose electrical connections are accessible via the cylinder head cap. In such cases, it is therefore necessary to guide the conductors for the control of the injection valves over the parting lines in the oil-conveying interior space, whereby, in the interior space, a fixed mounting of the conductors is necessary in order to prevent blank wearing away, disconnection, or tearing away of the conductors caused by moving parts such as, for example, a rocker arm.
To this end, it is already known from DE 101 05 625 A1 to integrate conductors into a seal that is comprised of a support element and an elastomeric seal profile enclosing the support element. The sleeve of the integrated conductor is thereby fixedly connected with the seal profile. In order to guide the conductor to both sides of the seal profile, the support element is permitted to project outwardly and the conductor is secured thereto.
With respect to such an arrangement, the disadvantage is incurred that the complete seal can no longer be used in connection with different electronic relationships or different relationships concerning the connection geometries, due to the integration of the conductor in the seal. Moreover, it is especially disadvantageous that the non-flexible projections of the support element are not suitable for rendering complicated layouts of conductors, in particular if the conductor layout deviates from the plane of the seal, whereupon resort must be had to conventional securement methods such as, for example, threaded fasteners.